From reading Retamar's work I got the impression that his interpretation of Shakespeare's work The Tempest is the opposite of Rodo mentioned in his. For Rodo he used the characters from the Tempest to identify with the nations. Such as having Caliban being North America(United States) having the characteristics and traits from the play. But for Retamar he goes against Rodo's idea and believes that it is the other way around. Rematar has Latin America identified as being Caliban instead, and pretty pretty much the other territories that have experienced imperialism and colonialism. Before the arrival of European(Prospero) influences the lands were only inhabited by the natives(Caliban).
The island in The Tempest could be connected to Cuba and Rematar discussing the colonization of his native ancestors. The characteristic of the natives having colored skin can be linked to Caliban being described as a deformed monster. So here the natives deformation is their different appearance to the European settlers, mostly their color of skin. And then the act of colonialism is tied to the enslavement of Caliban.
After the action of colonialism in certain areas it has left a question of one's identity as Rematar discusses in the beginning about one's existence. Large number of people were identified being "mestizos", being of both indigenous and European. Creating an issue regarding one's origins and culture, but it also helped create new ones.
What I am trying to do is ask if you think colonizing destroyed cultures or helped create new ones?or both?
You bring up a valid question when you state, “What I am trying to do is ask if you think colonizing destroyed cultures or helped create new ones?or both?”. I personally do not believe it destroys cultures because it is something we cannot change. Countries are constantly evolving and changing over time. People migrate and bring apart of their culture with them. Scientist believe that in millions of years humans will start to look very much alike, one race. They believe this will be the case because after millions of years of procreating with different ethnicities you will start seeing a similarity in physically characteristics. I think this question is very similar to the scientists theory because we will continue to see new cultured created with migration and evolution.
ReplyDeleteI think Retamar is less preoccupied with what has been created and destroyed in the past (at least in this essay), and more interested in articulating a new--and resistant--Latin American intellectual voice. Hence your observation that he reverses Rodo's reading of Caliban is true, but this reversal also implies a reclaiming of sorts.
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